


Adoption

by Squiggle_giggle



Category: The Night Shift (TV 2014)
Genre: Adoption, Adoptive Parent, Army, Book/Movie: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, Doctor/Patient, Dog - Freeform, Foster Care, Foster Parents, Justin (Bri’s Biological Father), Justin Holt - Freeform, Lung Transplant, M/M, Nurses, Police, SWAT, Soldiers, Surgery, cystic firbrosis, dads, daughter - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-22
Updated: 2020-11-20
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:34:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 18,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23259238
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Squiggle_giggle/pseuds/Squiggle_giggle
Summary: Drew never thought that one Night Shift could change his life forever.This is the story of how Rick and Drew became fathers to Brianna Holt.Filling in missing scenes from Season 3
Relationships: Drew Alister/Rick Lincoln
Comments: 30
Kudos: 74





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi  
> So I'm currently in quarantine and have finally finished this chapter

Drew smiled as he saw his husband on the couch, his confidential work laptop placed atop his knees as his hands lazily swept across it. The doctor dumped his backpack by the door, kicked off his sneakers and moseyed his way to the back of the couch. Wanting to share his good mood, he encircled his arms around the other man's shoulders and kissed his cheek.

"Hey," Rick greeted distractedly, his eyes focused on the report he was currently writing. Drew glanced at the screen picking up keywords that said 'drugs', 'cartel', 'gang violence'; it was pretty standard in the man's line of work. The doctor nuzzled against his husband's neck, enjoying the feeling of the light scratchy stubble against his clean-shaven face,

"Drew stop it, it's annoying." Undeterred, Drew pressed on. His hands roaming down the officer's chest, unbuttoning the top few buttons before letting his hands explore, appreciating the feel of hard, strong muscle under his hand. "Will you cut it out?"

"Whatever," Drew sighed, his good mood now deflating. He removed his arms from around the other man, turned to go to the kitchen but before he could get too far Rick grabbed his hand apologetically.

"Sorry," Rick expressed earnestly, his face softening as his attention shifted from his work to his husband. "It was… a very long night. Just let me finish this report, ok? I just want this to be done then I'm all yours"

"Ok," Drew agreed, squeezing the other's hand before going to the kitchen.

"It'll take a coffee and a round of toast while you're at it," Rick shouted from the couch, Drew scoffing at his boldness as he turned on the coffee machine.

"You want that coffee poured over your head?" earning laughter from the officer. Drew busied himself in the kitchen, taking the time to make a quite gourmet looking avocado toast that would rival any hipster cafe. He prepared a caramel latte with the expensive coffee machine Rick had insisted on buying, instead of the usual black rocket fuel he normally drank to keep him going through those long nights at the hospital.

He walked back into the lounge room with his meal and placed it on the coffee table.

"Here," Drew said handing his husband a plate of plain slightly burnt toast and a mug of cold black coffee. Rick stared at it in distaste, knowing he probably deserved as much as he longingly looked at the plate of beautifully crafted avocado toast and steaming hot delicious coffee the other man held lovingly in his hand. The officer bit into his own almost cremated toast, chewing exaggeratedly and tried to swallow down the dry scratchy toast.

"Can I have a bite?" Rick asked hopefully, Drew chewed thoughtfully before holding his toast out then pulled it away slightly.

"One," Drew warned, "a small bite." Rick took the toast, eyes becoming shifty as he folded it in half and stuffed the remaining mostly whole piece of toast in his mouth. "No!" Drew cried in anguish; he placed his mug on the coffee table before he jumped on top of the other man then straddled his waist. Rick made to scoot back on the couch as he tried in vain to escape, hiding his face in the pillow as he forced the toast down.

"I hope you choke!" Drew exclaimed, he threw the pillow away and pinned his husband's hands above his head. Rick smirked mischievously at him before sticking out his tongue to show that the toast was now all gone. The doctor scowled before a smirk of his own overtook his face and he rushed to meet the other's mouth and shoved his tongue down the other man's throat. To his credit, Rick recovered quickly as he flipped them off the couch and around the coffee table to the middle of the loungeroom floor which was quickly becoming a UFC Octagon.

They wrestled, playfully of course, well as playfully as two six-foot-something men with over a decade each of tactical training and army experience between them could. After five minutes, Rick had Drew on his stomach, arm pulled tight against his back as he locked his thigh in place with his leg.

"You can... tap out," Rick panted out flirtatiously in between breaths, "I won't think anything less of you."

"Never," Drew grunted in frustration, adrenalin kicking in as he reared his head back causing Rick to overcorrect his balance and land flat on his back. Drew moved quick, he once again straddled his husbands' hips, momentarily ignoring the arousal he felt before he pinned his shoulders; their faces hovering inches apart.

"You're so playful today, what has gotten into you? I like it," Rick crooned, wrestling momentarily forgotten as he leaned up to capture the other man's lips.

"I just had a good night at work, just thought I'd share my mood with you," Drew explained, hand coming up to lightly caress Rick's neck as he absentmindedly played with a few stray tendrils that had escaped the light hair product Rick had used earlier in the night.

"What happened?" Rick asked curiously, impishly biting at Drew's jawline.

"I met someone," Drew breathed serenely, letting himself get lost in the feeling of the other man's mouth.

"What?" Rick snapped, his hand pressing on his chest to put some distance between them.

"No, not like that," Drew rapidly assured, "it's a girl."

"What?" Rick repeated, pushing his husband off his lap and sitting up, preparing for a serious conversation.

"No don't worry she's only 12 years old."

"I'm sorry but what?" Rick repeated for the third time, "you need to start explaining yourself- "

"No! just- this is coming out wrong." Drew groaned; he rested his back against the coffee table as he grabbed his now cold mug of java. Rick continued to stare at his husband as he waited for him to explain himself further. Drew went on to recount his night, starting from Shannon and himself being called out to the wreckage where he first saw Bri, how he felt so protective of her, how he made sure that the paramedics were aware of her CF and that they had all of her inhalers.

He told his husband about the connection they had shared with the love of the book 'The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe'. Rick chuckled when Drew told him that he had let Bri know that he had 'spent some time in closets' but he wasn't sure that Brianna understood the double-entendre. The doctor became somber as he recounted the strings he had to pull to let Bri have the closure she would need with the passing of her foster mother. Looking back, it probably wasn't the best idea to let her see her in the operating room but he felt so unbelievably happy that Bri had trusted him enough to confide in him when he found her hidden in one of the closets on the paediatric ward. Embraced him so wholeheartedly and let herself be comforted by him.

"You're smitten," Rick teased, now patting Major (their German Sheppard that Rick had gotten while Drew was overseas) who had come in through the doggie dog and now lying upside down with his tongue out looking at his dads.

"Shut up," Drew laughed, no heat in his voice. "I dunno, she's just so… cool and smart!"

"So, what happens to her now?" Rick asked thoughtfully, distracting himself from all of the possibilities that were running through his mind by roughly giving Major a belly rub who seemed to be enjoying himself.

"I don't know," Drew bemoaned, running a hand over his face in frustration. "she has slight pneumonia so I have admitted her to the ward, normally it would be mild enough to be sent home with but since she doesn't have foster parents anymore she would be sent back to a group home and I can guarantee you they would be so understaffed that Bri wouldn't get the care she needs and would only get sicker. So, for the moment I want to keep an eye on her."

"After that?"

"I don't know Rick why are you pushing this?" Drew snapped, turning his attention to the dog who looked up at the loud voice.

"It's just…" Rick shrugged, taking a long deep breath to calm himself before leaning over to the other man placed a hand on his chin so Drew was focused on him. "you know I've always wanted a child, well children. I always thought it would be a baby but it was never something set in stone. We can apply for fostering, it's not adoption but I know the application for fostering can be a long process."

"Really? You've never even met her."

"I trust your judgment," Rick replied, a wide grin spread over Drew's features before he leaped over Major and tackled his husband to the floor. Major started barking and joined in by jumping on the pair of them excitedly, Drew pulled the other man from the floor and towards the bedroom.

"Are we finishing what we started?" Rick asked hopefully, pulling off his tight black work tee and throwing it in the vague direction of the laundry hamper before playing with the hem of Drew's scrub top. The doctor smirked, place a chaste kiss on his husband's lips and smirked at him.

"You're not that lucky," Drew told impishly, leaving him standing there in confusion in the middle of the room as the doctor retrieve his laptop and sat on the bed, leaning against the headboard as major took up residence next to him, "this foster parent application isn't going to fill itself out."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little more on how the process takes place

Drew slapped at his bedside table, his eyes still closed as he tried to find his phone and silence the vibration. He strained his neck to see if he had woken his husband, hearing a sleepy murmur and felt the bed dip as he adjusted before cuddling into the doctor’s shoulder then falling into a deeper sleep.

Drew yawned as he unlocked his phone, smiling to see that Bri had sent a text. It had been three days since Bri had been admitted to the hospital. At first, she was apprehensive to message the doctor, worried that he was just being nice to the poor foster kid but Drew had quickly reassured her that he had meant his offer and was more than happy for her to talk or text him any time of day. Now though, she would send through memes she found funny, tell him about the rumours she heard from the nurses on her ward or pretty much anything that popped into her mind and Drew cherished every message. Drew had sent her some photos when he had mentioned his dog Major, the overgrown puppy was more than happy to pose when Drew bribed him with some bacon. Also, a few photos of Rick and himself as she had been curious about him, the doctor had been worried at first. Scared of what she might think of a same-sex couple, it had been extremely underwhelming when Drew explained he was married to a man which she replied with a shrug of her shoulders then asked to see more photos of Major.

Drew squinted as he tried to read the message, he quickly dimmed the brightness and laughed quietly to himself when he saw the text.

Message received 4:30 pm: Bri

_‘What does Turkish Delight even taste like?’_

Message sent 4:30 pm: Drew

_‘I’m not too sure, google says it is a soft gel-like sweet usually flavoured with rose water.’_

Message received 4:31 pm: Bri

_I hope I'm lucky enough to try it someday_

Drew frown at the response before a thought occurred to him. He was planning on heading to the hospital early today anyway, Bri was complaining of being cooped up in the hospital room and he had offered to wheel her around the car park; it wasn’t much but she jumped at the offer. Drew quickly searched the web for a place in San Antonio that made authentic Turkish Delight, a few minutes later he found an old fashion sweet shop that was a half-hour drive. If he left soon, he would have time to make it there and back with time to spare for their walk in the sunshine.

Drew leaned over to place his phone back on the bedside table when he felt Rick’s hand circled his waist. The doctor tried to gently pry his hand away so he could get out of bed but his husband just held on tighter.

“Go back to sleep,” Drew whispered, pressing a soft kiss to the other man’s forehead. Rick didn’t need to be at work until 7 pm so he could still catch some shut-eye.

“Stay in bed,” Rick countered, lazily pulling the other man against his chest and buried his face in his neck.

“I can’t, I have to go to this candy shop before work.” Rick lifted his head and gave Drew an adorable sleepy glare.

“Candy shop?” Rick asked sounding more than confused, “is that code for something?”

The doctor chuckled at the other man before telling him how Bri was reading his favourite book ‘The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe’ and how she had never had Turkish Delight. Rick pulled the blanket over himself, grumbled tiredly as he closed his eyes complaining that he had been deployed to Turkey before and had homemade Lokum, it had tasted like his grandmother’s perfume mixed with potpourri.

“Well, it’s a good thing it's not for you,” Drew sassed back, swinging himself from the bed before going to the walk-in closet to find a fresh pair of scrubs.

“If you're going to a fancy candy shop, can you get me some Raspberry White chocolate Bullets?” Rick asked hopefully, Drew stepped back into the room with a smirk on his face.

“You don’t find it ironic that your favourite candy is liquorice bullets? And you're a cop? And you were a highly trained Marksman?”

Rick yawned as he nestled his head further into his pillow before giving Drew the middle finger. Drew chuckled at the childish man as he sat down next to his husband, tucked him as he adjusted the sheet around him and kissed him sweetly.

“Go back to sleep, I’ll call you on my break at work- yes I’ll get your damn candy,” Drew assured when he saw Rick about to interrupt. They shared a few more sweet kisses before Rick tried to fall back asleep while the doctor headed to the shower ready to continue with his mission to the Candy store across town.

* * *

It had been a lovely time in the sunshine, Brianna lighting up as he showed her the Turkish Delight; swore that she wouldn’t sell out to the Ice Queen in return. Drew would have loved to stay longer as they walked around the parking lot but the blonde started to wheeze and cough, so he wheeled her through the group of protesting nurses and up to the Paeds ward to start her Percussion Therapy. Once she was settled in, he left her in the care of the nurses and went down to the ground floor to the ER; it was hard to resist the urge to kiss her forehead when he said goodbye.

As he stepped out of the elevator, he felt the ground shake along with the booming sound of an explosion. He plastered himself to the wall as he crotched against it and shield his face. He tentatively searched around for the source of the commotion before he noticed some nurses helping patients and did a quick once over on them to make sure that no one had any serious injuries. As he worked on the patients, he asked one of the nurses if they could make sure Bri was safe upstairs only to be told that the floor had been shut down and secured.

A quick video call from Bri, he was quickly assured that she was terrified but stable for the meantime and he could focus on his other patients affected by the blast.

At 11:30 pm one of the SWAT members found Drew debriding a wound and pulled him aside. It was Ford, one of the men from Rick’s platoon and handed him a radio on a secure channel. The doctor normally liked to keep himself busy when Rick was working, he didn’t like to dwell too much on what he was doing on the front line and the immense danger he put himself in. The sound of crackly static came through the radio followed by Rick’s deep voice laced with concern. Drew quickly assured him that he was fine and so was Bri though he didn’t ask, the doctor heard the smile in his partner’s voice as he let him know that he would drop by after work.

* * *

Drew looked at his phone, 7:35 am; his shift officially ended half an hour ago but he can’t pull himself away from Bri’s side. How this little girl had managed to worm her way into his heart already really blew his mind. As he watched her sleep he reflected on their previous conversation, he was tasked with letting Bri know that her lungs were shutting down a job he wouldn’t wish on anyone but heartbreaking news he didn’t trust anyone else to deliver.

He expected tears, a tantrum or even screaming but she was stoic, unbelievably wise beyond her years. How she managed to stare deep into Drew’s soul and tell him she wasn’t afraid to die because it had to be better than her life had been, it had nearly torn him apart. Bri spoke of a better place, somewhere reminiscent of Narnia, somewhere they didn’t have Breathing Treatments, a place where no one was ever sick and she was ok with dying.

But Drew couldn’t accept it, he was going to bust his ass to get her on every and any donor list, call all of his contacts and request to whoever would listen then tell the people who wouldn’t listen. Bri just smiled sadly at him, asked if he could read to her as she was feeling tired and Drew was more than happy to oblige.

The doctor stared at her in wonder, how could someone so small be so brave? So enchanting? So wise? So… loveable? God, he wanted to adopt her.

“Woah,” Drew breathed, adoption. He knew he was ready to look after Bri and he wanted nothing more but was he ready for that commitment? Was Rick?

“Hey,” speak of the devil. Rick walked quietly over to him, pulled up a chair next to his husband and handed him a takeaway cup of piping hot coffee.

“I love you,” Drew professed, taking a long pull of the scalding liquid, enjoying the burn as it slid down his throat.

“Me or the coffee?” Rick asked, placed the cardboard cup tray on the table as he retrieved his own. He took a sip of his coffee and grimaced at the strength of it realising he had given Drew the wrong cup, he went to swap it when he noticed that the other man had already drunk half the cup. “Jesus you're gonna burn your throat at this rate.”

“I’ll manage,” Drew rasped, watching the monitors slowly beeping above the bed. Her oxygen levels were terrible, he knew she would be on a ventilator full time soon and it would only continue to break his heart. “how'd you find me?”

“Molly,” Rick replied, taking the lid off his coffee and dumping all the sugar packets he was given into his cup to try and save it. He looked at the little girl before him, sleeping peacefully; she was beautiful. He noticed the well-worn copy of ‘The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe’ on the bed next to her which bought a smile to his face, he had thought about buying Drew a First Edition of the book when he told Rick how much he loved it but when he looked it was upwards of $10000; Drew told him it was the thought that counted.

The doctor placed his free hand on Rick’s thigh, his eyes not leaving the monitor.

“I don’t want to foster Bri anymore, I want to adopt her,” Drew said resolutely, no room for discussion. Rick’s take away cup froze halfway to his lips and he slowly turned to his husband, unsure of how to proceed. Before he could respond, the blood pressure monitor picked up slightly and Drew’s eyes immediately switched to the young girl before them, her eyes slowly fluttering open as she awoke from her slumber. The blonde rubbed her eyes tiredly, yawning as she looked over at the two men, confusion clear as she assessed Rick.

“How are you feeling sleepy head?” Drew asked, straightening up from the chair and quickly assessing the IV, making sure everything was still in perfect working order before he took a seat on the bed. “Bri this is Rick.”

“Hi sweetheart,” Rick greeted as non-threateningly as possible. He regretted now not changing out of his work clothes before coming to the hospital, while his tactical gear was gone along with his gun, he was still in all black. His tight black tee practically screaming SWAT across his back and on his chest, his tough leather laced-up boots covered in dust from the explosion earlier and the long night and tiredness associated with it made him look meaner than he was.

Bri continued to stare at him hard, her glance not scared more… curious? Rick couldn’t be sure.

“Drew says you have a robot leg, is it true?” Bri asked sceptically, sounding like she didn’t believe the doctor at all, the blonde looked at his leg as though she was trying to see through the material of his pants.

“Bri!” Drew reprimanded incredulously, couldn’t believe that was the first thing she asked him but they both startled when Rick let out a hearty chuckle.

“Ah, yeah something like that. Do you want to see it?”

“Yes!” Rick smiled as he folded his right pant leg up to reveal his prosthetic limb, to think it felt normal to him now considering how life-altering it had been only a few years prior. Bri crawled to the side of the bed to get a better look, she was enraptured by it as she had never seen anything like it before. “I bet you could outrun Drew with your leg.”

“He wishes,” Drew scoffed.

“Easily,” Rick preened, ignoring the other man.

“It would be easier now because Drew ate the rest of my Turkish Delight,” Bri explained with a playful sneer. Rick laughed jovially and reached out to high five her which she happily did.

“We are going to get on so well kid,” Rick told her before he even realised what he had said. Drew felt pride swell in his chest as he watched the pair interact, he was worried that Rick might not form a bond with Bri or not fall in love with her as easy as he had but now as he watched them joke and poke fun at his expense he knew he had nothing to worry about.

Soon an orderly brought in Bri’s breakfast which she thanked them for before they left, the blonde lifted the cloche and stared in disappointment. Rick rose from his chair and looked at the meal, picking up the toast and hitting it on the tray table.

“What is this? It's hard as a rock,” Rick frowned, looking at the pathetic excuse for food.

“It's not the worst I've had since I've been here,” Bri shrugged, uncapping the bottle of milk and pouring it into the uncooked oats.

“Can we take Bri out for breakfast?” Rick asked Drew.

“Really?” Bri asked excitedly. Fumbling momentarily, Drew didn’t want to be the bearer of bad news. Bri had declined dramatically since their stroll around the car park, he didn’t want her away from her medication and the ventilator if she needed it. Plus, at this stage, she was on the verge of becoming immunocompromised, if someone so much as sneezed or coughed in her direction they could cause irreversible damage. Rick was looking at him with so much glee and hope that he hated that he had to crush it.

“I'm sorry but you can’t leave the hospital, its too much of a risk for you to be out of a sterile environment. I’d have to call Nina your caseworker as well, it would be a lot of paperwork for her to allow us to take you somewhere since we don’t have any legal guardianship over you, but-“ Drew quickly took her hand squeezed it reassuringly when he saw her bottom lip drop into a pout. “what if Rick and I picked something up and we all came back here instead?”

“I’d like that but… I don’t have any money to pay for it- “

“Don’t be silly,” Rick assured as he stood next to his husband and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Drew’s paying, I never feel bad about spending his money.”

“Who said I'm paying?” Drew scoffed much to the amusement of Bri, he squeezed Bri’s hand again before standing from the bed. “think over what you want and text me, even if its ice cream and pizza ok?”

“Ok.” Bri smiled at the two of them before they walked out hand in hand.

As they started heading towards Rick’s truck, the officer’s mind crept back to their earlier conversation. Drew climbed in the passenger seat and stared at the other man as he hadn’t started the ignition.

“Drew,” Rick started tensely, a frustrated sigh escaping him as he dragged a tired hand through his hair. “you can’t just spring something like that on me, ok?”

“The adoption thing?”

“Of course, the adoption thing!”

“Why, do you not like Bri?”

“No, she's great it’s just, - “Drew took his hand and squeezed it encouragingly when he noticed that his husband wasn’t angry just flustered. “Adoption is a lot different than fostering and I don’t mean any disrespect to Bri but she has some complex needs due to her illness that I don’t know how to help her with. I don’t know the first thing about Cystic Fibrosis Drew!”

“Hey,” Drew cooed, wrapping his arm around Rick’s shoulder and pulled him across the space of the seat into a reassuring hug as Rick was almost hysterical. “I will be there every step of the way to help. Bri knows all about her condition and I think she would love to be able to help you with it; she would be so grateful that someone wants to spend time and get to know her. Yes, it will be a big responsibility but that kid is a fighter and she needs people in her life that are there for her, I know that we are perfect for the job.”

“How do you know?”

“The way you were interacting with her? I've never heard laugh so freely before; you easily assured every worry she had. Rick, you noticed little things that people have often overlooked, you wanted to take her to breakfast because you saw the tiny little frown she had when she saw the hospital meal- “

“Anyone would have done that- “

“No, they wouldn’t have, you did it because its just one part that makes you so incredible.” Drew professed, placing a hand on the other man’s cheek and gently stroked it. “we will get through this together ok? It won’t be easy but I know that she is worth it, that you will be an amazing father and you deserve to have this chance.”

Rick pressed his lips against Drew’s and melted into the kiss, it was slow and calming, everything he needed in this one private moment.

“Can you drive?” Rick asked, the night’s events and the emotional rollercoaster of the morning finally catching up with him. The doctor nodded, pressed one last long kiss on the other man before climbing out and into the driver’s seat while the other man slid over. As they drove away from the hospital, Drew didn’t comment when he saw Rick rub a tear from his eye or the shaky breaths he heard. As they were nearing the café, the officer silently placed his hand on Drew’s thigh and gave him a watery smile.

“Ok, let's adopt Bri.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here we go!  
> Please leave a review so I know if you're liking the story so far


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Third installment!

"Alright, no more!" Rick swipes Drew's phone and stuffed it into the back pocket of his jeans. Drew blinks momentarily at his hand then scowled at the other man "we're going out to eat."

"Rick, give me my phone!" the doctor protested, standing up and crowded his husband as he attempted to pat him down more thoroughly than a TSA agent.

"No," Rick told, trying not to get distracted by the other man's hands as they groped his lower half. "You need to eat! I know you are trying to help Bri in every way that you can but there is only so much you can do!"

"No, I haven't been able to contact that doctor in New York! I can call him again-"

"Drew," Rick breathed, trying to choose his words wisely as he placed his hands on Drew's shoulders to calm him. "She is on every possible donor list; you have rung and emailed every doctor you can think of. As much as you don't want to hear it, you have done everything you can!"

"It doesn't feel like enough!" Drew told his voice edging on a whine. "She's sitting in that hospital room day after day just waiting so if there is something, anything I can do to help then I'm going to do it!"

"You are going to burn yourself out!" Rick protested. "Let everything you have done fall into place! Let's go out and get something to eat when was the last time you ate something?"

"I'm fine, I'm not hungry," Drew replied, making a grab at the phone but Rick deftly moved away.

"Humour me. Just take a break, an hour please?"

Drew groaned, he shouldered checked Rick as he passed making his way to the front door to put on his boots. The officer grabbed the keys from the island bench then making his way to the entry as he waited for the other man. "I want ribs."

"Its 9:30 in the morning," Rick replied in confusion.

"And pulled pork slider."

"Thought you weren't hungry?" Rick asked, opening the door and making their way to the truck.

"Need my strength to continue making calls, phone?" Drew held out his hand and waited for the other man to hand it over. Begrudgingly Rick handed back the stupid device which earned him a kiss on the cheek, rolling his eyes he reversed out of the driveway, making their way to find a Barbecue place that would be open this early on a Wednesday morning. Good thing they lived in Texas.

* * *

Drew personally took Bri's and the donor's blood samples down to the lab for testing, there was no one else he trusted to carry out the process. He should feel upset that someone had to die for Bri to get her much-needed lungs but he really couldn't find it in him to care, the blonde was suffering. Earlier before they were told about the donor, they were going to transfer her to the ICU, her lungs had deteriorated immensely and she could barely breathe without the help of a ventilator.

Drew hand-delivered the viles to the pathologist, he may have seemed intimating as he pulled up a chair and sat there as he watched them carry out the necessary tests. Soon the results were coming back, one, two then three, four and five of the required antigens matched. Yes, they needed six antigens to match but they had five! They had never had five matches before!

After the tests were conducted, he had snuck away to the hospital's chapel. It wasn't a place he had been to before and not somewhere he felt the need to visit again for a long time but you know what they say about desperate times and measures. The doctor really wasn't sure what he was doing, who or what he was praying to but he was hoping for a small miracle.

Bri had paged him, concerned that it was 2 am and she was still awake. He was slightly perturbed that Bri had spoiled his surprise and overheard the loud nurses talking about the donor's lungs but she was so bright. The doctor couldn't contain his excitement, he reassured her about any fears she had about the operation, promised that there was nothing that was stopping him from being there, Rick and himself would be waiting for her during and after the surgery.

Drew was alerted to the donor arriving at SAMH, he raced up to the Operating floor and sat front row to organ transplant operation Scott was performing. Those lungs weren't going to leave his sight.

* * *

Drew sat in his office, thinking that he could really use a bottle of bourbon or hit something right about now. He leant back in his leather office chair tapping a pen against the mahogany desk before throwing it across the room with frustration.

"It's not fair," Drew whined to himself, standing from his chair then slumping himself down on the dark grey suede couch to the side of his desk. He laid there, his arm smothering his eyes as he took in a shaking breath.

Bri had 5 out of 6 antigens! It was the most they had ever had and someone else swoops in just like that and takes them away? Logically he understood that 6/6 was better than 5/6 antigens but it didn't stop him from wanting it, Bri deserved it more than anyone.

The doctor felt his phone ringing but ignored it, too caught up feeling sorry for himself to have a civilized conversation. Only on the third time did he huff and pull the device from his scrub pants.

"What?" Drew bemoaned, his eyes remaining shut as he waited for the call to be over.

"Hey, how's your night?" Rick asked, choosing to ignore his husband's antics.

"I don't want to talk about it." After his insistent prodding, Drew finally relented and told his husband about the whole saga. Rick was understanding and sympathetic to his needs, if Drew didn't love him as much as he did it would he find it beyond annoying. After the doctor was through, bitter and melancholy heavy in his tone, Rick posed a question.

"I know you wanted to do it together but," Rick started, "why don't you ask Bri about the adoption?"

"I thought we were going to ask her together?"

"We were but I think you need this. I'll come by after work and see you two but I think Bri and you could use the good news."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"I love you," Drew confessed, sitting up from the couch and feeling emotionally lighter than he had before.

"You should," Rick chuckled, they quickly said their goodbyes as the doctor pocketed his phone and sighed in thought. How was he going to ask?

* * *

Rick stepped off the elevator into the paediatric ward, brown paper bag in one hand and a cup tray in the other, he was starting to enjoy his newfound routine. The officer frown slightly when he went to the blonde's hospital room and noticed it was empty, tamping down his worry an orderly who was used to him being on the ward told him that Drew and Bri were in the family room. Confused why Bri was even awake this early, he made his way to the room to hear loud grunts and fighting. As he entered, he saw Bri and his man-child playing Mortal Kombat on the communal PS4.

"Take that!" Bri shouted in victory, Drew's character was violently thrown to the ground.

"Suck on this!" Drew fired back, somehow managing to get his character to get to its feet and perform a combination before the screen shouted T.K.O. the doctor cheered, making fake crowd roaring noises and shaking his fist in the air with triumph.

"Did you really just beat a sick child?" Rick asked, stepping away from his spot where he had been leaning against the doorway before placing their breakfast on a nearby coffee table and joining them.

"It's the only round he has won all night," Bri said proudly, opening the paper bag and searching in there for something that piqued her interest, "I thought I should take pity on him

"Get fu- "

"Drew!"

"Get stuffed," Drew corrected himself as he forgot that she wasn't one of his platoon buddies, causing the blonde to giggle as she reached the cup tray and picked up her strawberry thick shake. It made Rick smile to think that only days ago she had been afraid to even ask for anything but now she was comfortable enough around them to take her own food without question. Today's breakfast consisted of McDonald's, sure it wasn't the healthiest option but he was too tired from work to get out of his car and stand in line at a café.

"Thanks for breakfast," Drew said, he leant in to press a kiss to Rick's lips but hesitated at the last moment as he turned to look at Bri. Opening her tiny sachet of butter for the hotcakes she had found in the bag, she looked up at the couple when she noticed the silence in the room.

"Aren't you going to kiss him?" Bri asked curiously, taking her plastic knife to spread the butter over hotcake, enjoying the sight as it melted into it.

"You don't mind?" Drew asked, hating that there was an edge of anxiousness in his voice.

"Anyone kissing someone is gross but you're married, so," Bri said with a shrug, stabbing her pancake and taking a bite as she tried to eat with her nasal CPAP mask on. Rick chuckled to himself, he forgot how he used to think that kissing was gross and all about catching cooties but now kissing his husband was his favourite part of the day.

Drew leant back in and quickly pecked his husband before grabbing a McMuffin out of the bag, a slight blush tinging his cheeks. He knew the doctor wasn't much for PDA, so he took what he could get.

"So Bri and I had a big conversation earlier," Drew started, a huge grin slowly spread across his face as he looked at the young girl.

"Really, what about?" Rick asked, feigning innocence as he took a long sip from his cup.

"I asked Bri if she would like to come live with us after her operation and if she would be ok if we adopted her. She said yes."

"That's great news!" Rick exclaimed; he hadn't heard from the other man on how the conversation at gone. Mostly because he was scared she would say no, he knew that it was unrealistic but there was always that doubt in the back of his mind that kept him from hoping.

Rick leapt up from his chair before crouching in front of Brianna, he carefully pulled her into a hug, rejoicing when he felt her grip to him tightly.

"Not too tight," Drew warned softly, trying to prevent the moment from repeating itself. Rick pulled back but held onto her shoulders and smiled warmly at her.

"I'm so glad that you said yes sweetheart, you've made us so happy."

"I'm so happy that you asked."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it really annoyed me in the show that Rick wasn't there when Drew asked Bri about the adoption, it's a big life-changing event and Drew just asks Bri?
> 
> Anyway, hopefully, this gives a little backstory.
> 
> So the next episode will be in a few chapters.
> 
> Also thinking of adding some smut so let me know if you want to see that
> 
> Love Squiggle


	4. Chapter 4 Part 1

This episode will be broken up in a few chapters

Warning, there is smut in this chapter

* * *

Drew stepped out of the ensuite freshly showered and into the walk-in robe to find something to wear for the night. Tonight, he wasn't working at the hospital or on-call so TC and he decided to go out for a beer. TC's relationship with Jessica was complicated, Drew had been stressed filling out the adoption paperwork and both of them needed a drink.

He put on a pair of black boxer briefs, dark wash jeans, a black belt and a steel grey ¾ sleeve shirt which he left unbuttoned as he searched for his cologne. The doctor stepped back into the bedroom quietly, Rick was still sleeping as he didn't start work until 9 pm. The doctor found the bottle on his bedside table, spritzing some on and placed it back in the bathroom, he checked himself in the mirror and shrugged deciding it was good as it was going to get.

Drew sat on his side of the bed and proceeded to put on a pair of socks, he jumped slightly when he felt a hand on his lower back playing with the hem of the shirt.

"Did I wake you?" Drew whispered softly, turning around when he finished with his socks and smiled at the sleepy man lying next to him.

"Smelled the cologne," Rick replied as a way of an answer. Drew stood from the bed as he searched for his dress boots, he felt Ricks eyes on him as he moved around the room.

"Sorry, T and I are going out for a drink. I told you, didn't I?" Drew asked, crouching by the foot of the bed when he found one boot then crawled along as he spied the other further along under the bed near the side table.

"I remember you vaguely saying something," Rick yawned, his eyes raking over the other man's chest as he stood in front of him with the complete pair of shoes in hand.

"What?" Drew asked curiously as he noticed the mischievous look in his eyes. Wordlessly, Rick propped himself on one elbow and reached his other hand out to his husband's belt, leisurely unbuckled it before moving onto the button of the jeans. "Babe I don't have time."

"Be late," Rick replied, his hand moving to the fly and unzipping it. His hand palmed the other man through his briefs, Drew bit his bottom lip as he tried to focus on his argument.

"TC needs a lift to the bar," Drew said, wondering why he was protesting in the first place. He thought back to when they last had sex and it was just under two weeks ago. It was neither of their faults, life was hectic at the moment with Drew working 12 hour shifts along with his army and gym commitments, Rick was the SWAT Commander, with the title came the responsibilities of training and honing his forces' skills along with the endless paperwork plus the adoption process for Bri; it took all his energy to roll over and kiss his husband before he fell asleep at the end of his day.

"Guess he'll have to wait," Rick smirked up at him before he pressed his head against the doctor's stomach, "you smell good." Drew's eyes fluttered shut as the other man nuzzled his lower belly, open mouth kisses placed along skin before the feeling of teeth graze against his briefs' and pull them down to expose his half-hard cock. Drew gripped his husband's shoulders and tried to maneuver them to lay on the bed, only for Rick to hold them in place, sitting up in the bed and placed his hands on the other man's hips. "Nope, I've got you where I want you."

Rick pulled down the underwear further down to rest on his thighs, he trailed lazy kisses down the length of the other man's dick. Placing his mouth around the tip, he sucked for a moment, flicked his tongue back and forth, then let go to lick up the length of Drew's cock.

Drew shuddered, his hands reaching down to tangle and pull at Rick's short hair. The officer smiled against his skin and pressed his lips to the inside of Drew's left thigh. Rick sucked slowly, taking his time moving up and down. He scraped his fingernails down the backs of Drew's thighs, causing the other man's whole body to arch as continued with his ministrations. Running his tongue up and down every side of Drew's cock, Rick stopped at the tip, teasing him, as he felt him ready to go.

He paused, breathing heavily against Drew's sensitive skin. The doctor grumbled gibberish as Rick's tongue tickled against the tip of his cock before his mouth wrapped around it.

Moving slowly up and down his shaft, Rick sucked hard, twirling his tongue as he went. He did his best not to smile, but the scrape of his teeth made Drew shudder as Rick got closer and closer to the base of his cock. He sped up, Rick remembering that Drew didn't have all day and was going out to a bar, at the sudden change he felt Drew pull at the hair of his scalp.

Rick slipped his mouth from around Drew's dick and took a deep breath, feeling Drew's glare on the top of his head. He drew swirls with his fingers from the back of Drew's thighs to the base of his penis and then wrapped his hand around the shaft, moving up and down quickly while shifting forward to look his husband in the eye.

He smiled as Drew bit his tongue as the other man teased him relentlessly, the officer moved his hand roughly, squeezing tightly around other man's erection. Rick stroked rapidly, smirking as he felt and heard Drew's breathing stuttered before he came on his hand.

Frowning at the mess on his fingers, Rick subconsciously wiped it on the other man's stomach and shirt. Drew closed his eyes as he enjoyed his euphoria, basking in his afterglow before looking down at the slowly drying white patches on his stomach.

"Damn it, Rick, seriously?" Drew tucked himself into his briefs then headed to the ensuite bathroom. The doctor grabbed a washcloth from the towel rack, he took off his shirt and mopped up the mess, tossed it towards the pile of dirty laundry in the bedroom then washed his stomach as he didn't have time for another shower. He went back to the closet and found a faded orange plaid shirt and shucked it on, walking back into the bedroom doing up his jeans and belt as he went.

"My bad, sorry," Rick smirked.

"Yeah you look sorry," Drew rolled his eyes as he sat on the bed next to his husband and put on his black leather boots.

"I hate that shirt," Rick sneered, stretching his hand as the muscles started cramping from the vigorous movements.

"I know, maybe now you'll keep your hands to yourself."

"You loved it."

"I did," Drew smiled, he finished tying the laces of the boots before swinging his leg over the other man's thighs. Wrapped his arms around the back of his neck and ground down against Rick's prominent hard-on. "Let me repay the favor."

"Na, it's fine." Drew stared at him strangely, placed a hand to his forehead to check if he was sick. Rick rolled his eyes and slapped his hand away, "go out with TC."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, you'll just owe me one." Drew was still unconvinced but he didn't have time to argue, he kissed Rick roughly until they were both breathless and only pulling away when Drew's phone sounded with a text from TC. The doctor stood, grabbed his phone and wallet then felt the other man slap his ass. "don't start any fights, I know what you're like after a few drinks."

"Rude," Drew told but grinned because he knew it was true, "I won't be out late, Bri wants to start reading the Harry Potter series so I'm going to the hospital before she falls asleep. Be safe at work."

"Always am," Rick replied, with one last kiss Drew headed for the door, turned around to see his husband sliding back under the covers and wink at him. Shaking his head, he left for the bar not knowing that he wouldn't be able to keep his 'no fights' promise.

* * *

Drew sat in the cold damp cell, his head in his hands as he thought of the various ways, he could murder TC. He couldn't believe this had happened; he had had two beers while TC seemed hell-bent on giving himself alcohol poisoning. Drew was on his way out to see Bri as some redneck thought he was hitting on his girl, Drew laughed at the question because she sure as hell wasn't his type only for TC to come in swinging. He didn't want to but Drew needed to protect himself and before knew he was thrown in the back of a cop car with a set of handcuffs on his wrist.

He thought of Bri, sitting up waiting for him to arrive but now with no way of contacting her she would be thinking he was abandoning her; he could only imagine how heartbroken she would be. The blonde had been moved to ICU last night, her lungs had deteriorated so much that she had been put on the ventilator fulltime, with her condition it also meant she had been placed higher on the donor list. The hospital could get a call any minute and she would be rushed to surgery and he wasn't there, he vowed never to make such a mistake ever again.

* * *

Drew's hand ached painfully as it recovered from the punch; TC really did have a thick skull. He had had enough of listening to him crack jokes, tell him 'you're very loud, Drew' as he pleaded with the guards for his phone call, even trying to use his husband's status to convince them to let him go to no avail, but TC's crack about him being in the closet really pissed him off. Yes, he was out and proud, married to an amazing man but it was still a tough subject for him and for TC run his stupid drunken mouth got to him. He didn't understand the years of torture he put himself through, the anxiety and hurt that it caused him; it's not something he joked about.

Being stuck in the cell only spurred on his frustration as he had managed to get his phone call, he thought about calling Rick but there was a slim chance he would be able to answer him as the officer was infiltrating a raid. Drew called the hospital and felt sick that Bri had been taken into surgery without him, he had promised he would be there for her and he wasn't able to keep it. It took all his strength not to beat TC to a bloody pulp for putting him in this situation, the most frustrating part was that TC didn't seem to care; shrugging and rolling his eyes when Drew told him that Bri was in surgery.

Drew didn't want to think of the implications this put on their adoption case, seeing a recent arrest would surely squash any chance of them being approved now. He regretted going out tonight, wish he had just stayed at home or just gone straight to the hospital instead of getting into the stupid drunken bar fight; one he didn't even start!

Suddenly the door of the cell opened, a bored-looking guard shouted 'you've made bail' before forcing them out of the cell quickly. Drew wasted no time, ignoring TC who made no effort to move as he jogged to the officer who thrust release forms in his face. The doctor saw Jessica standing at the desk, harshly staring at her former boyfriend as TC strolled out of the cell at a leisurely pace.

Drew pocketed his belongings, he had 30 missed calls from various people and asked if he could get a ride to the hospital as his car was still at the bar. Drew said a quick thank you to Jessica for bailing them out as he followed the police officer to the squad car.

Sitting in the back of the car for the second time that night, he closed his eyes as a single tear escaped. He just hoped he wasn't too late.

* * *

Tell me what you think

I live for reviews!

Hopefully, part 2 doesn't take too long.

Also working on a story of Bri bringing home a potential boyfriend, ill let you imagine how overprotective both Rick and Drew will be


	5. Chapter 5

Drew stood vigilant at the window of the operating room; his tired eyes unblinking as he watched the complex procedure take place. The night had gone from bad to worse, he had rung Rick multiple times but all of the calls were going to voice mail. When the doctor had made it to the hospital, he had run out of the squad car and up to the operating floor without a second thought. He arrived only to see Bri lying on the surgical table, the monitors showing appalling figures and illuminating how close to death this blonde angel really was.

Syd had tried to reassure him, express so earnestly to him that all parents make mistakes, that it was ok and it wouldn't be the last one he would make. He tried to absorb the words but it went in one ear and out the other, his mind too consumed with his own tormenting thoughts

He was told that Bri's lungs had all but given up, she had to be intubated after going into a panic attack before the surgery and they couldn't regulate her breathing. Drew was disgusted with himself at how terrified Bri had been, how he hadn't been there to comfort and reassure her like he promised he would be; he vowed to never make that mistake again.

He was berated by Nina, Bri's social worker, informed that being arrested and in lock-up for hours was going to make his case for adoption harder if not have it thrown out altogether. Drew defended himself as well as he could but he knew it didn't look good, it was selfish of him to do this Bri, to do this to Rick. They both wanted the adoption so ferociously; it made the bile rise in his stomach to his throat as he thought about the disappointment he would surely find in Rick's eyes when he explained the situation, he had put them in.

After being scolded by Nina again, the doctor barely took a breath before he heard loud footsteps pounding down the corridor.

"Look who I found wandering the halls," Syd said, coming back into the room with Rick following her.

"I just got the message I was on a drug bust; I came straight from the field," Rick said

"Oh, did I need to see you," Drew confessed, meeting the other man in a tight, comforting embrace. It took all his strength to not break down and bury his face in the other man's chest.

"Oh, what happened to you," Rick asked with concern, lightly holding his husband's chin as he looked at the dark bruise forming on Drew's face.

"It's fine, I'll tell you later."

"How's she doing?" Rick asked, they turned towards the window and watched on, the officer placing a comforting hand on the other's shoulder.

"It was tough for a while, but they are finally putting in the new lungs. Even then it's too early to say whether its gonna take, it's gonna be a long night."

"Which brings me to coffee. You guys want any?" Syd asked from behind them, momentarily forgetting they weren't alone.

"Yeah"

"Please yeah"

"Okay," Syd nodded, then left the room. Drew grabbed Rick's hand on his shoulder, squeezing it tightly as he needed the support.

* * *

Two hours later they were starting to close the incisions. It was so emotionally draining watching the procedure, every time the monitors beeped or flashed Rick would look to Drew in panic before he could soothe him and explain what was happening, every slight complication would make their hearts speed up and worry that it would be the end.

Bri had made it through, the lungs were working perfectly, her vitals were great but it was too soon to get their hopes up. Nothing was guaranteed at this stage, even a single cough or sneeze could hurt Bri and undo all their hard work

They watched as they placed a protective patch over the incisions and draped a gown and blanket over her then rolled her to the recovery ward. Scott threw his gloves, gown, and mask in the hazardous waste bin before walking into the observation room to greet his waiting audience.

"Operation went great," Scott announced, removing his surgical cap and ruffling his hair. "A few complications at the start but once the lungs were transplanted it went pretty smoothly. For now, we will monitor her closely, everyone will need to be vigilant as she will be immunocompromised so use the hand sanitizers, keep yourself clean, cough and sneeze into your elbow, just follow good general hygiene practices. We will start her on her anti-rejection meds, antibiotics as a precaution, pain killers and some IV medication and fluids as well. Any questions?"

"Yeah," Rick asked nervously, "I know you said about her immune system is weakened at the moment but we can still… hug her right?"

"Of course, you can," Scott smiled warmly, "it's a huge operation for anyone to go through, let alone a young girl. Be gentle obviously but I encourage it, it'll do her and yourself good. Is there anything else?"

"I don't think so?" Rick asked as he looked at his husband who shook his head.

"Great, you're welcomed to wait in her room for her to wake up." With that Scott turned and left the room. Nina grabbed her handbag and started to walk for the door with Syd.

"Go ahead, we'll catch up," Rick assured, the women exchanged a glance before they headed off in the direction of the pediatric ward. "Ok, tell me what happened to your face."

So, Drew did, starting with TC's urge to drink the whole bar to how he found himself in the fight to being thrown in lockup for hours all the while feeling completely useless while Bri was in the hospital by herself, needing to be intubated from the severe panic attack. As the story came to a close, Rick sat there silently, staring at him with a look of contempt.

"Say something," Drew pleaded as the moments ticked by in deafening silence.

"Drew," Rick grumbled, trying to keep his temper in check, "I told you not to start any fights- "

"I didn't start- "Rick held up his hand.

"It was the one thing I said," Rick hissed, "one thing! Can't you go out for a drink and leave it at that? How could you be so stupid? The courts will take one look at this, claim us as unfit parents and throw our case out!"

"You think I don't know this?" Drew demanded, trying to keep his voice down as an Orderly passed by. "I have already been chewed out by Nina. She's looking into it, going to try and smooth things over; that and Syd's letter of recommendation, well have nothing to worry about."

"Don't be so naïve!" Rick groaned, "two grown men adopting a teenage girl makes us look suspicious as it is! To add that one of them is prone to violence, there is no way that this could go our way!"

"Bit of a reach don't you think?" Drew asked incredulously.

"No, I don't."

Drew stood up from his chair, pacing slowly around the room, sighing with frustration and tiredness. Kenny had pointed that out to him earlier, to anyone else it would seem sinister that two grown men would want to adopt a teen girl but there was no sick ulterior motive! They were just so captivated by Bri, she was so smart, funny and just so amazing that they wanted her in their life, however long that may be.

Lost in thought, Drew stiffened in surprise when he felt strong hands encircle his waist, Rick's forehead resting on his shoulder as his chest pressed against his back.

"I'm scared," Rick admitted after a moment, Drew let a gloomy frown fall on his features as he placed his hands over his husband's.

"I know, I am too."

"A few weeks ago, I couldn't imagine feeling such emotion for someone else, now I don't see our lives being complete without Brianna."

"I'm sorry for what I've done but nothing can change that now. All we can do is show how committed we are to Bri, just how much we want this."

"We can't lose her Drew."

"I know."

* * *

Rick and Drew had fallen asleep as they waited for Bri to recover from her anesthesia, the hard-plastic chairs providing no comfort to them as they tried to rest; they should have used the spare cot that was offered to them by the night nurse. Hours had passed, nurses checking her vitals every half hour, making sure her recovery was going smoothly.

In the early morning hours, Brianna stirred from her medically induced slumber, sounding tired and confused as she called out for Drew. They checked her Peak Flow, a device that measures how well air moves out through the lungs which showed an amazing reading that had barely been seen before.

They introduce her to Syd; the couple had mentioned her briefly in the past, that Syd had a daughter about Bri's age, how Drew and she had met overseas while deployed. The doctor wasn't sure if Bri found some sick twisted pleasure in embarrassing him as she told Syd 'she is prettier than how Drew had described her but Drew likes boys.' The group had a hearty chuckle at his expense before he said 'Bri you're killing me'.

It was an emotional morning, Drew vehemently promising her that he would always be there for her, how distraught he had been for letting her down and vowing to never do it again. But Bri accepted it, she was just so overwhelmingly happy that they were in her life, told them that she 'knows' that they will always put her first and have her best interest at heart and that's why Drew and Rick are going to be her dads.

Eventually, Nina and Syd leave, giving the family trio some well-deserved time together. Bri slept off and on for the next few hours, Scott and Paul visit to check on her incisions, agreeing that they look pink and healthy with no signs of narcosis. They explain the aftercare to the two men and what will be involved, Rick was seemingly overwhelmed but Drew just took his hand and smiled, they'd make it through together.

Sometime around midday Drew finds himself sitting in one of the armed chairs, feet up on another chair in front of him he was sharing with his husband beside him. Rick had his head on Drew's chest, the doctor's arm around his shoulders as Rick mindlessly played with their wedding rings, his eyes drooping with fatigue as they watched over their precious little girl.

"So, you like boys huh?" Rick asked cheekily, his smirk ever-present as Drew lightly swatted his chest.

Bri snuffles in her sleep, adjusting her head before settling again, falling into a deeper slumber. The men glance over, keeping a protective eye on her; Rick looked at his husband with a sleepy smile.

"I can't wait until we can take her home."

"Me too," Drew confessed, he placed a loving, tentative kiss to the other man's forehead. "Get some sleep."

Drew sat there watching over the two most precious people in his life, smiling to himself as he gently stroked his fingers through Rick's short hair as he slept peacefully against his chest. The doctor had made a lot of mistakes that night but he had pledged to fix every one of them. He was so thankful that Bri had forgiven him and was willing to let them into her life. One more week in the hospital and she would be home with them forever, Drew wasn't going to let anyone or anything stop him.

* * *

So this chapter was really hard to write, I don't know if it was how much of a focus they had in the episode or because I couldn't take as much creative freedom when writing this but who knows.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey!  
> Here is the next instalment  
> So this first part, is it necessary? I dunno.  
> But you'll like it lol

"I'd fuck Jax," Rick said nonchalantly, stuffing a large handful of corn chips into his mouth sloppily.

"Same," Drew agreed, reaching for the bowl of chips that was between them.

It was a week after Bri's surgery, it had been a whirlwind of post-operative checks by doctors and nurses, adjusting medications, multiple dressing changes and everything else he was too tired to recount. The couple had been there every step of the way, Bri's exhausted features would light up each time she saw them and it warmed their hearts. The trio was starting to let themselves get excited at the prospect that everything might just fall into place for them.

Today, the couple were spending the day on the couch, in their pyjamas, watching Sons of Anarchy. Every day they had gone to the hospital to see their future daughter but Bri was still recovering, she told them that she would probably be sleeping most of the day and to stay home. They still wanted to see her so she relented when the couple compromised to organize a Facetime call with her to check-in.

Rick was lying on the L shaped beige suede couch, feet resting on the matching fabric ottoman as his back and neck were cushioned against the backrest, Drew was sitting upside down, his feet hanging over the back as his head almost dangled on the floor, somehow, he found it comfortable.

"Chibs too," Rick added, reaching for his drink on the side table.

"Really?" Drew questioned, squinting at the screen trying to see what his husband could see.

"Oh yeah," Rick told. "Whole silver fox thing, super-hot."

"Nah, Tig though…"

"You have a pulse, he wouldn't be interested," Rick laughed, aware of the character's eccentric kinks.

"Right… not Clay."

"Definitely not." They chatted intermittently, to discuss the show or about anything that popped into their minds, it was nice, they seldom got the chance to have a quiet lazy day at home together. During one of the episodes, Drew's mind started to wander. Rick was looking good, he was relaxed, calm plus his tight black tee didn't hurt either. Shrugging to himself, he reached for his phone, checked the time to see it was 1:57 pm.

"We were gonna FaceTime Bri at 4 pm, right?" Drew asked conversationally.

"Something like that," Rick shrugged, draining the rest of his drink before belching loudly as he crunched the can in his hand and threw it towards the kitchen near the trash. Rolling his eyes, the doctor righted himself on the couch, crawled over to the other man and started untying the drawstrings of his husband's sweatpants. The officer looked down curiously as the other man's hands worked swiftly before returning his eyes to the screen. Not the reaction he was hoping for, Drew slid his hands under his husband's soft cotton tee, scratching his short nails along his ribs and he started kissing Rick's exposed collarbone. "I thought we were watching the show?"

"You're complaining?" Drew whispered in his ear.

"Hang on," Rick said, lightly pushing his husband away, pausing the show and turning the tv off before throwing the remote on the coffee table. Drew side-eyed him, wondering if that was necessary before Rick moved back onto the couch, pulling off his tee, shuffling down until he was mostly flat then tapping his chest in a 'come here' motion. "Alright, get on me."

"You could have just rewound the episode," Drew explained, the other man helping as he removed his shirt. Rick silenced him by pulling him down into a heated kiss, the doctor squeaked in surprised before melting into the kiss. Drew adjust himself to straddle his husband's hips, grinding against each other for some delicious friction as Rick placed one hand on the back of the doctor's head while the other gripped Drew's ass.

Rick kissed Drew, deepening their kiss in comparison to before, tongues diving in more firmly. The doctor pulled on his husband's short hair, trying to draw him closer, closer, closer and when their front teeth brushed against each other neither of them complained.

Drew moaned in pleasure as he started moving his hips against the other man's more firmly, the thin fabric between them doing nothing to help as it provided friction between them.

"Did you bring anything?" Rick asked, his voice barely above a whisper before he went back to latch his lips onto Drew's.

The doctor's only response was humming lowly and moving his lips to his husband's jaw, sucking loudly as he kissed into his skin. He kept going until he reached the spot below Rick's ear that never failed to drive him crazy. This time was no different and Drew had Rick groaning and moaning in no time, the sounds making his cock twitch in his pants.

"Drew?" Rick prompted, trying his best to sound urgent but failing, his voice too breathless to sounds anything but needy. "were gonna need stuff before we go any further."

"But I just want to make out with you," Drew replied, equally out of breath.

"Seriously?"

"No," Drew laughed as he leant down to suck on his husband's bottom lip before gently biting it and the officer moaned loudly, his nerve endings feeling like they were being electrocuted and set on fire at the same time. Drew swept his tongue across the same patch of skin and Rick felt the heat of it shoot down into his chest.

As Rick's hand made its way under his husband's briefs, his phone rang but he chose to ignore it; knowing it wouldn't compare to grinding up against his husband.

As it rang for the third time in a row Drew placed one last kiss on his husband's lips before he scooted back down again, crossing his arms on Rick's chest and rested his chin on top, looking at him expectantly.

"Sorry, I'll get rid of them," Rick whispered apologetically before reaching for his phone and answering it with a formal "Captain Lincoln."

Drew took to drawing shapes on his husband's chest, fingers swirling spontaneously as he half-listened to the droning phone call, he had no interest in. The doctor found it amusing as he played with the man's left nipple, biting or licking it and watching Rick's face twist with arousal as he tried to remain professional on the phone while swatting at Drew with his other hand. After a minute of the phone call, Drew busied himself by laving down the man's sternum, placing open mouth kisses along his stomach, passed his belly button to the skin resting above the low hanging sweats. Teasingly slow, the doctor pulled them down to expose the half-hard cock he was looking for.

"Yes sir," Rick grunted into the phone, his fingers snapping in Drew's face to get his attention, "cut it out!" he hissed, his hand over the receiver. A wicked smirk spread across the doctor's face as he shook his head 'no'. The officer glared at him as Drew began to stroke his cock, Rick's teeth biting his bottom lip to keep himself quiet.

"I understand," Rick managed, as the doctor casually licked up his length, "but I'm unavailable for work tonight." Drew gently cupped his husband's balls with one hand, while sliding his fist from the base of his dick to the tip. Rick let out a breathy sigh and then a sharp hiss before biting his fist to try and keep himself quiet as Drew's mouth closed over the head and bobbed up and down only enough to tease.

"What about officer Maxwell?" Rick threw his head against the backrest of the couch, Drew sucked him down in one long mouthful, swallowing once he felt it hit the back of his throat. The doctor was surprised at how well the other man was doing, Rick would get so loud sometimes the dog would growl from outside the closed door thinking he was hurt.

"I'm confident he could take the lead on the bust, sir," Rick scrunched his eyes closed painfully as Drew hollowed his cheeks, holding the officer's hips down as he thrust up at the sensation. "Fine! I'll work! I'll be there at 6- no not 4, 6!" Rick ended the call violently before throwing the phone to the other end of the couch as he moaned equal parts pleasure and frustration, "are you trying to get me fired?!"

"Maybe?" Drew replied as he pulled off with an obscene pop.

Sneering, Rick yanked up his sweats before gripping the other man and pulling him into a fireman carry as he got up from the couch. The doctor laughed in surprised, extremely turned on that the other man was strong enough to hold him as he was carried towards the bedroom.

* * *

"So," Drew began, slowly pushing Bri's wheelchair towards the little park half a block from the hospital, warm autumn sun shining down on the pair, "how's the party planning?"

"Great" Bri replied excitedly, smiling up at the doctor, "I have the guest list mostly sorted and the food- "

"Pizza?" Drew asked hopefully.

"Yup! Plus, candy and chips, I just don't have any decorations."

"Order whatever you want and have it sent to the house," Drew shrugged as he wheeled them through the archway of the park and towards a picnic table.

"No, its fine, some of the nurses have construction paper I can just make something…"

"Nope," Drew told playfully, putting on the breaks of the chair and sitting on the bench seat next to the blonde. "Bri don't feel bad about the money, I know you're not used to it but I'm gonna be your dad. Teen daughters are known for trying to send their fathers bankrupt."

"OK," Bri relented flatly, "but it will be low budget."

"I wouldn't expect anything else," he chuckled, leaning forward and placing a delicate kiss to her forehead. Bri giggled at the absurd man before focusing her attention on a German Sheppard sprinting towards them rapidly. The blonde was scared as she watched him jump from six feet away and pounce on Drew, flattening him against the table. She squealed in alarm, calming slightly when she noticed he wasn't being attacked but licked to within an inch of his life.

"Major!" Rick yelled, jogging up the path towards them. Drew pushed him away, gasping a breath once the dog was back on the ground.

"Major?" Bri asked curiously.

"Yeah," Rick replied slightly breathless, clipping the leash to his harness as he commanded him to sit. "Sorry Drew, he took off when he saw you from the car."

"S'alright," Drew muttered, wiping the hem of his scrub shirt on his face trying to rid himself of the dog slobber, "you used to be that excited to see me."

"Well," Rick said playfully, sitting next to his husband before he dipped him dramatically and kissed him. Bri giggled at the couple as Drew pushed him away and muttered 'idiot'. "How are you, sweetheart?"

"Good," Bri replied, "Talking about my adoption party."

"Ah yes," Rick said fondly, "my best shirt is at the dry cleaners now just for the occasion."

They chatted for a while, Rick and Drew discussing with Bri how she wanted her room set up and where she wanted to get certain furniture from, where they could get photo frames so she could place pictures from her life around the room, to maybe the idea of fairy lights.

The officer took a tennis ball from his pocket, the German Sheppard enraptured by it and let Bri throw it to the dog before she got tired and watched the men throw it. Half an hour later, Drew told her they would have to leave soon for her medication and Rick would be finished with his late lunch break.

"I wanted to ask you something," Bri broached tentatively, the married coupled shared a perplex look before returning their gaze to her.

"Of course," Drew replied cautiously.

"I know it's not official yet, not until Friday but I was wondering if…"

"If?" Drew prompted when she stayed silent.

"If… I can start calling both of you dad already."

"Oh," Rick breathed in relief, he looked to his husband who shrugged but had a massive smile on his face, "nothing would make us happier if you called us dad."

"Really?"

"Yeah!" Rick and Drew replied enthusiastically, they pulled her towards them in a loving hug which she melted into. They stayed huddled together for a few moments before Rick regretfully pulled away, placing multiple kisses into her hair.

"Do you have to go?" Bri asked, Drew unlocking the brakes from the chair as they all walked out of the park towards the police cruiser.

"I do but I'll come by the hospital after my shift ok?"

"Ok." Rick opened the door, Major jumping in and walking over to the passenger side before sitting down and making himself comfortable.

"I love you two," Rick expressed, softly ruffling her hair as he pressed a chaste kiss to Drew's lips.

"Love you, Dad," Bri told, the officer smiling wider than she'd ever seen.

"Man, I don't think I'll ever get sick of hearing that." With that, they waved goodbye and went their separate ways. Bri was wistful as they travelled back to the hospital, she couldn't believe how much her life had changed in over a month. In all her years as a foster child, she had never experienced so much joy, so much happiness, so much love; she had never let herself hope that this life could be attainable. All she had to do was wait until Friday, no longer would she be a foster child.

* * *

Drew sat in his office, like he had so many times before, feeling completely devoid of any emotion. He rested his head on his fist that was on his desk, mindlessly watching his Newton's Cradle swing back and forth with a steady metallic 'tick, tick, tick' filling the air.

Would he do anything else but disappoint Brianna? He should have known that the universe had something in store for him, he assumed he had paid his penance for the mistakes he made the night he was arrested. Miraculously, Nina had worked her magic and smoothed it over with the judge, everything was in place for the adoption; all they needed was their day in court, sign on the dotted line and Bri would officially be their daughter.

Deciding he had avoided the inevitable enough, Drew made a quick detour to the hospital gift shop before heading up to Bri's hospital room. When he arrived, he lightly knocked on the glass sliding door before entering. The blonde was on her laptop, watching a YouTube video, she glanced at him sparingly before returning her gaze to the screen.

"Hey," Drew greeted, placing the bag of Crispy M&M's on her tray table next to the laptop, "brought your favourite."

"My favourite is the Crispy Eggs," Bri told, giving them an unimpressed glance.

"Well, its July, can't get Easter chocolate when it's not Easter now can I smarty pants?" Drew said with playful snark, smiling when he saw her lip twitch.

"I don't want to meet Justin," Bri told emphatically, opening the bag of candy and eating a few.

"I don't want you to meet him either," Drew replied earnestly, sitting in the visitor chair next to her bed. Reaching over for some of the treats himself only for his hand to be lightly slapped.

"Mine," Bri told, rolling her eyes when the doctor was undeterred. she laid there quietly, chewing thoughtfully before turning her sad doe eyes on Drew, "why do I have to?"

"It's just how it is baby girl," Drew explained, rubbing his eyes tiredly, "I'm getting a DNA test for him, there's no way he can step forward and claim paternal rights; it's some BS that he wants full custody now. I've been here, every single day, taking care of you, loving you and then this… clown shows up out of nowhere, it's not fair."

"You're my dad," Bri spoke emphatically, reaching a hand for Drew who took it immediately. "Rick and you are my dads, not this idiot sperm donor."

"Oh God," Drew chuckled, he had been trying to curb his swearing around her and then she goes and says something like that. "Look, I'm not going to let that happen ok? You're my daughter." There was a quick rap on the glass door, Nina standing there motioning him outside. Drew squeezed the blonde's hand and stood from his chair. "Just remember I love you."

She nodded curtly, watching him go as she braced herself for the awkward encounter.

* * *

Drew was pacing by his Jeep in the early morning air of the hospital parking lot. He wished he had a cigarette or something at this moment so he would have something to do with his trembling hands as he worked up the courage to call his husband. Avoiding the situation for long enough, he sighed deeply, leant against the driver's door of his SUV and pressed Rick's name. It rang briefly, the doctor wishing he didn't answer and it could go straight to voicemail.

"Hello?"

"Hey," Drew said with disappointment, he crouched down, resting his back against the tyre, "do you have time to talk or are you busy?"

"Um… can you hang on a sec?" Drew heard rustling and whispered voices as his husband moved around on the other end. About a minute later he heard a door open and close, then some fumbling before Rick returned with a "what's up?"

"Ugh…" Drew mumbled unintelligibly; he didn't know how to start.

"Drew what's going on?"

"So, there is a slight issue with the adoption- "

"I thought Nina smoothed over the arrest- "

"She did," Drew quickly assured, giving up and sitting on the ground now; playing with a stray thread of his scrub pants. "For the adoption to go ahead, they need to be sure that all parental rights are given up by the parents on the child's birth certificate and biological parents. A man named Justin Holt has stepped forward, wanting to pursue full custody of Bri."

"That's bullshit, run a DNA test!"

"I did," Drew told, "results were sent to me half an hour ago. Justin is Brianna's biological father; he's claiming he wasn't aware of her; didn't know she existed until the adoption was being pursued."

"So, what? Game over, we lose? Because I'm not giving up that easy,"

"Neither am I," Drew agreed, "he was here at the hospital earlier- "

"What? Why?"

"It's just part of the messed-up process," Drew grumbled, "I stayed outside her room and watched the whole time. Bri was upset that she had to meet him but she did it, told me she still wants us as her parents. We can still fight this, Bri needs to plead her case and hopefully, things will go our way."

"I still don't understand how he can come forward now. Surely he had to know about Bri?"

"I don't know either Rick." There was a lengthy pause on the phone, neither of them not knowing what to say while their minds raced with questions and thoughts. The most prominent was 'why now?' Bri had been in foster care most of her life, surely when she was first in the system, they had to look for living relatives?

"We were so close."

"Hey, it's not over," Drew affirmed, "just a slight set back. Bri will plead her case, we'll show the judge our commitment, Justin signs his rights away then Bri's officially our daughter."

"God… I need a drink."

"Ha-ha, me too," Drew laughed, he heard some indistinguishable chatter in the background and Rick calling back to them.

"Look I've got to go, I'll come by the hospital after work and see if there are any legal issues I can work out with Nina. Drew?"

"Yeah."

"Don't do this guy any favours, I mean it. Stay away from him."

"I will," Drew promised, though he felt as though he should be slightly offended at the accusation. With a quick goodbye, Drew hung up and looked at the time. It was just past 5 am, all he wanted to do was either drown his sorrows in a bottomless bottle of Jack or pound a punching bag until his knuckles bled but his shift had been extended into the day with the raging forest fire burning. 

Sighing in defeat, he stood up and made his way to his office to catch a 15-minute nap before getting back to it, hoping that his husband would find the missing puzzle piece they needed to cement their suspicions about Justin and officially adopt of Bri.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Our boys just never seem to catch a break  
> Originally this was going to be 7 chapters but in the next ep there is a lot of stuff that logically needs to happen before someone can be adopted so it might be 8-9 chapters so stay tuned!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bri's temperature spikes and Drew is concerned it is the start of her body rejecting her new transplant

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So how come no one told me this story hadn't been updated since April?
> 
> My bad!

Drew yawned widely as he signed his thirtieth chart for the morning, at this point he wasn't even sure what it was he was signing, which was not the smartest thing he would admit. He was so drained; it was coming up to the 16th hour of his shift and he was ready to collapse.

Rick came by the hospital after his shift, large extra shot cappuccino from the French cafe in hand with hot fresh buttery croissants for him and Drew was honestly ready to make out with his husband then and there in the Emergency Room. Rick chuckled at the enthusiasm, placed a kiss to his forehead before telling him he was heading up to see Bri and Nina, hoping to find a loophole that would help them with their Justin debacle.

An hour later, Drew was triaging a patient who had a very in-depth complaint of their finger hurting when they bent it back at an uncomfortable angle. Drew tried to be empathetic, he did but he had been awake almost 20 hours, working 17, hadn't had a toilet break in 6 and was seconds away from telling this man what a complete and utter moron he was.

He was saved or the patient was saved by Drew's wrath, by his phone's pager. He grunted an 'excuse me' as he stepped out of the treating area and looked at the page.

' _Dr Allistar RM 114 Paeds Ward'._ Drew looked at the page on the phone with confusion, it was Bri's room. She was almost two weeks post-op and everything had been fine with her recovery so far. Pocketing his phone, he called over one of the day shift doctor's, briefly explained the symptoms the patient was experiencing to which they quirked an eyebrow and asked 'seriously?' before Drew left and took the elevator to the Paeds ward.

"What's going on?" Drew asked, entering the room.

"We've been monitoring Bri," nurse Joycelyn began, placing a blood pressure cuff on Bri's upper arm. "Her temperature has steadily been climbing over the last hour, I'm wanting to make sure it's not the start of the rejection of her lungs."

"What's her temp?" Drew asked, taking his stethoscope from around his neck and placing the buds in his ears.

"103F degrees (39.4C)" Joycelyn said as she removed the thermometer from the teen's ear.

"It's high," Drew said tersely, "lean forward," Drew instructed Bri as he listened to her chest carefully, taking extra care to hear for any abnormalities no matter how small.

"Blood pressure is normal," the nurse told, writing it down on the chart.

"Bri how do you feel," Drew asked as he sat on the bed next to her, "any trouble breathing, tightness in your chest? Headaches, dizziness?"

"No, I feel fine," the teen told happily, too happily. Unconvinced, Drew asked for the chart, ordering blood tests and a slew of medication that would help her feel better and bring down her temperature. A few minutes later, the nurse returned with the viles, taking the required bloods before getting the medication and handed them to Bri who took them without question. They continued to monitor her for the next half hour, every five minutes Drew was checking her temperature, listening to her lungs, blood pressure, pulse, much to the irritation of the teen.

"Her fever has come down, 102F (38.8C)," Joycelyn announced.

"That's great thank you," Drew said, as Joycelyn left the room. He was glad that the medication was finally starting to work in the last half-hour, even if it was only one degree.

Once Bri was sure the nurse had left the room she began to tell Rick and Drew about how she managed to spike her fever, looking very proud of herself as she did. Explaining how she had previously used a 'Niacin Flush' to get out of school last year and how she wanted to do it again so she could stay longer in hospital and not go to a group home.

Rick and Drew were furious, it was so dangerous, her body was still adjusting to the transplant and anything that could compromise her progress could be detrimental to health or could be potentially fatal. The couple promised her that if she did go to a group home by some sick twist of fate that they would be there, out the front sleeping in their truck waiting for her because she was their daughter now, they are never leaving her and nothing is changing that.

Drew continued to monitor Bri for the next half hour, tracking her temperature and watching as it steadily came down. He adjusted the medication he had previously ordered on her chart since he now knew the cause of the temperature and just needed to wait for the niacin to get out of her system.

Drew received another page asking for assistance in the ER, Rick offering to walk him down. As he was leaving, he sternly told Bri not to do anything like that again and she knew he was serious.

As the married couple made it to the elevator, Rick pulled Drew against him comfortingly, who sagged against him with fatigue.

"I'm going to have to monitor her now, to make sure she is taking all of her medication and not hoarding them," Drew said tiredly.

"I don't think she meant to do this in spite," Rick assured, pressing a kiss to his husband's forehead.

"I know," Drew agreed, "its policy. It has to be recorded now."

"Is there any way that we can avoid it?" Rick asked, not wanting their daughter's record tainted.

"Not since Joycelyn was there," Drew explained, "if it was us, I could maybe but she was there witnessing it. It'll be fine though. With the temperature, Bri will have to spend another week in the hospital so that's a plus I guess."

As the door opened, Rick guided them out towards the reception area of the ER, Drew leaning heavily against the desk.

"You look tired."

"I am tired," Drew agreed, yawning and rubbing his eyes.

"I'll have dinner cooked for you when you get home," Rick promised.

"Hmm, that sounds amazing," Drew hummed.

"Nina and I are going to see if we can get a court order to access Justin's records, see what dirt we can dig up, on him. I'll keep you posted."

"Please do," Drew told, he leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to his husband's lips. He felt something being firmly pressed into his stomach and then a hand on his shoulder pulling him away.

"Drew, multi-car pile-up on the freeway due to the low vision of the heavy smoke of the forest fire. All hands-on-deck," Topher told, as he handed Drew his jacket and led him towards the ambulance bay. The doctor looked over his shoulder, a look of exhausted disbelief on his face as he saw his husband smirk and wave him goodbye. Rick watched him go before turning back to the elevator to track down Nina and find out what he would need to take down Justin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is the last ep of the series but there is a lot that is missed in the show. I think I have two more chapters and an epilogue left? Roughly?
> 
> But it may change
> 
> this chapter is short because I just wanted to update this story.
> 
> I have recently started writing Shameless, so if you're into that fandom feel free to check them out
> 
> Also, I started watching Brothers & Sisters because Rick is in it and I have to say, it's so cringy lol. Rick's character 'Scotty' I dunno, just so cringy. Does anyone else agree?
> 
> Love Squiggle xx


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long time no see
> 
> Ugh this was such a hard chapter to write, motivation seriously evaded me
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> -Love Squiggle

Drew finally finished his shift at 2 pm that day, a massive 20-hour shift. He had worked 24 hours, even 48-hour shifts but normally he would be on call and could sleep in the downtimes but today there hadn't been downtime and he was bone tired.

He headed to Bri's room, decided to sleep on the roll-away cot as there was too much that he needed to do at the hospital instead of going home. When he entered, the nurse caught him by the door and handed him Bri's meds before heading to the next patient's room.

"Alright Bri," Drew said tiredly, sitting on the bed next to her and placing the cup of tablets in her hand. "I need you to take these, then I'm going to check your mouth to make sure you have swallowed them."

"Dad!" Bri protested indignantly.

"Don't fight me on this ok?" Drew warned, he was exhausted and not in the mood to duke it out with the teen. "I know you were only doing what you thought was right but you brought this on yourself, so I need you to take these then I'll write it down that you are medication compliant and everything will be fine."

"Fine," the blonde took the medication and put the cup back in the other man's hand. When instructed, she opened her mouth and Drew checked and saw that all the pills had been taken. He told her as such, said he was going to update it on her file and would be back.

When he returned, the blonde was facing away from him and looking at the wall, sad hiccupping sounds could be heard in the silent room.

"Bri are you crying?" Drew asked with concern.

"No," she told tearfully.

"Move over," Drew instructed, he toed off his shoes and climbed under the blanket with Bri, slung an arm around her and pulled her close.

"Are you angry with me?"

"I'm angry you felt that you needed to do it," Drew said, choosing his words carefully. "I understand that you felt that you were doing a good thing by getting yourself to stay at the hospital but Bri, Rick, and I care so much about you, we don't want to see anything happen to you."

"I'm sorry!"

"It's ok," Drew assured, pressing a kiss to her forehead, "just don't do it again, ok?"

"Ok."

"Good, now get some sleep, your body needs to recover from all of the medication you had this morning and I need to sleep until at least tomorrow from that hell of a shift," Drew said through a yawn. Bri rested her head on his chest and closed her eyes, while Drew turned off the lights and followed suit, both falling asleep within minutes.

* * *

Rick smiled to himself when he walked in on the scene three hours later, Bri and Drew curled up together fast asleep. He hated to do it but he had good news he needed to share with his husband. Quietly walking into the room, he placed a hand on the man's shoulder gently shaking him as he whispered his name. Drew breathed deeply as he stirred at the intrusion, his eyes blinking slowly as he got his bearings. Rick smiled down at him, nodding with his head in the direction of the corridor as he showed him a manila folder he had in his hand. The doctor extricated himself from the teen, stuffing his feet in his shoes and followed his husband out of the dim room and into the hallway.

"What did you find?" Drew asked with a yawn, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"A lot actually," Rick explained, taking a sheet from the folder and placing it on top, "Justin has lied this whole time."

"Could have told you that for free," Drew muttered, looking at where his husband was pointing to on the page. "What's this?"

"This is Bri's birth certificate," Rick explained, "as you can see Justin is listed as the father. When a person is listed as a parent on a birth certificate they are notified."

"So, Justin would have known about Bri when she was a baby?" Drew asked curiously.

"Most likely, found out he has a bunch of other kids to different women all over the state of Texas. The interesting thing I came across too, ever heard of the Texas Family Code?"

"No."

"Justin has," Rick smirked, taking out another sheet of paper, looking over his shoulder as he did so. "This is strictly confidential. So, Texas Family Code Chapter 161 is a petition where a parent can terminate their rights to their child, look close and tell me whose signature that is at the bottom."

Drew looked at it and sure enough, there was Justin's signature, handing over all his parental rights for his daughter Brianna Holt. It was the slam dunk they needed but it didn't leave Drew any less confused.

"That's great but why is he back? Why does he want her back now?"

"I don't know," Rick shrugged putting his paperwork back and tucked it under his arm, "but he'll be here later tonight. We need to talk to him then."

* * *

The talk went as smoothly as both of them envisioned it would. Justin's abrasive personality didn't mesh well with both Rick's and Drew's protectiveness over their daughter, their need to keep her safe increased tenfold when Justin's true intensions appeared. All Justin wanted was money, that was it. Bri was just a ploy in his terrible plan.

Reflecting on how the conversation played out, it made Drew laugh, this redneck's goal didn't come to fruition so he decided to threaten a cop? Really? It just proved to him how ill-conceived his terrible plan was. Now it was over and they were on there way to their daughter. Riding in the elevator, the couple couldn't contain the smiles overtaking their faces. Rick lightly tugged the other man's hand and pulled him towards Bri's room, a feeling of uncontainable excitement overwhelming them.

They arrived to find the blonde sitting up in her bed, looking at the door worriedly.

"What happened? Is everything ok? Did you get rid of him?" Bri asked hurriedly.

Rick gave Bri a condensed version of events, explaining the evidence he found against Justin, how he had given up his paternal rights when she was an infant, he left out the part of how Bri was just a ploy for money, telling her that Justin had heard she was going to be adopted by a same-sex couple and he didn't agree and wanted to put a stop to it.

"So, what happens now?" Bri asked, digesting the new information.

"Well," Drew smiled, taking the blonde's hand in his, "with no one contesting the adoption and no other interruptions to the process, I think we can finally get this show on the road. What do you say?"

"Yes!" Bri cheered, leaping forward and hugging both the men tightly, "can we do it quickly?"

"Absolutely," Rick chuckled, "we just have to get all the paperwork signed, Nina will take care of it from there and once you are cleared from the hospital you get to come home with us."

"Wow, it's really going to happen?"

"Really, really."

"Over the years," Bri started, "I've seen so many kids come through foster homes, the group homes and then they go off to their forever homes and not for one second did I ever think that that would be me, you know? Some people had been interested but when they find out about my 'complex medical needs' suddenly they're not interested. I guess what I'm trying to say is, you'll never know how grateful I am for meeting you, for you both for choosing me, so thank you, for everything."

"Nothing to thank us for," Drew explained earnestly, clearing his suddenly dry throat.

"We'll always choose you," Rick told emphatically. He ran a hand through his hair, a little overwhelmed with emotion, "besides I was getting tired of living with just Drew all the time."

"Well, it's a good thing for you then," Drew said with a roll of his eyes, "end of the week and this prisoner is free from her cell. What do you think kiddo?"

"I can't wait!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, I tried
> 
> I don't know, there will be one more chapter. I originally thought about doing an epilogue of Bri's adoption party but I dont know
> 
> Let me know if that is something you want to see


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

"She doesn't even live here yet and she already has so much stuff!" Rick complained as he carried yet another Amazon box into Bri's room, placing it down next to his husband who was currently working on assembling a flat-pack desk.

"Well she has nothing," Drew explained, fighting with a screw as he tried to affix it into the hole, "we have to start from scratch."

"I don't think it goes th-"

"No," Drew cut him off, pointing the Allen Key at him, "I built furniture with you once and it almost ended in divorce. Keep your opinions to yourself."

"Alright," Rick said, holding his arms up in surrender, "I'll let you continue doing it wrong." The officer wincing as he was struck with a plastic bag full of metal screws.

Bri was coming home tomorrow. After almost three months in the hospital, she would finally be here and they were woefully unprepared. Nina had been great, filing all of the paperwork for them, making sure it was filled out correctly so there wouldn't be any issues. Even though Bri would be their daughter, she wouldn't officially be theirs for another year. It was all legal jargon which was news to them, for the next 12 months there would be social worker visits checking in on them, making sure Bri's transition was going smoothly, that Rick and Drew were fit parents, that the house was a safe and loving environment. Though they weren't concerned, it was worrisome that at any moment Bri could end up back in the system.

The family's Adoption Finalization Day was scheduled for next week where they would go before a judge, have their day in court and make it completely official. He would have to put on a suit, which was the worst part of the day, oh that reminded him.

"Have you taken the suits to the dry cleaners?" Drew yelled to his husband as he continued to assemble the desk.

"What?" Rick asked, his reply sounded muffled from a few rooms away.

"Have you taken the suits to the dry cleaners!" Drew shouted rolling his eyes. He heard footsteps before he saw the other man enter the room.

"What?" Rick asked with a mouthful of his sandwich as he leant against the doorframe.

"Have. You. Taken. The. Suits. To. The. Dry cleaner?" Drew said slowly, punctuating each word.

"What for?" Rick asked curiously, taking an aggressively large bite of his food.

"Are you messing with me right now?" Drew asked agitated, "why are you eating? You need to finish the room.

"I was hungry," Rick shrugged, offering the sandwich to the other man "you want some?"

"No, I don't want any," Drew sighed, placing his tool down, "they need to be cleaned. You had one job, Rick!"

"We have another week," Rick shrugged.

"Just… do it now," Drew said, trying to remain calm.

"Whatever," Rick muttered, "I'll be back later then."

"When later?" Drew asked.

"Later," Rick said firmly turning to leave.

"Rick," Drew said tiredly, the other man stilling, turning to his husband. "there is just a lot to do before Bri gets here and I just want it perfect ok?"

"I know," Rick sighed, "I'm just tired."

"So am I but next week it'll be all over."

"I'll take the suits then I'll pick up some food unless you want to cook something for dinner?" Rick smirked, Drew just rolled his eyes and gave him a 'seriously?' look. The Officer chuckled, leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to his husband's lips before leaving to run his errands. Drew loved that man but he wasn't sure if the grey hairs he found were from his job or his husband constantly stressing him out.

* * *

Today was the day. After so many months, the pain, heartache, the ups and down the trio had encountered, today was the day Bri was officially leaving the hospital and coming home with them.

The couple had been at the hospital for a little over half an hour, Bri was meant to be discharged in the morning but was released early as her last scan came back clear and normal. Rick and Drew signing Bri's discharge papers, helping her pack and say goodbye to all of the staff she had grown close to in the past few months. Drew had stopped by the hospital pharmacy, picked up all of Bri's medication she would need which they had conveniently placed in a Webster Pack for them.

The house was finally ready now, the desk was put together, maybe it wasn't the best construction but it was sturdy enough not to fall apart. The couple had stocked the house with all of Bri's favourite food, her bedroom was neatly arranged with her online purchases, looking similar to an Instagram Dream.

It felt strange to Drew, seeing the house transform in such a short time. For so many years he lived by himself in a bachelor pad, if you could even call it that. The one-bedroom apartment he had was bare and impersonal, the cheapest he could find so he could keep his belongings safe while he was overseas and when he was home, he liked to keep busy by going to the gym or working. When their schedules aligned, Drew would stay with Rick, the man feeling like home more than a building ever could.

Now, their family home, the one they had bought together before they had gotten married had previously gone through transformations. Bathroom renovations that made it easier to shower with Rick's leg, an open plan living/dining area that let more light in as Drew rarely saw natural light at work. The house once again being transformed for their daughter and it felt good.

"Alright kiddo," Rick started, picking up his duffle bag that currently contained all of Bri's belongings from the hospital. "Ready to go?"

"Yep!" Bri told excitedly, grabbing her phone and placing it in her pocket, sweeping the room one last time to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything.

"Ok, let's get going, I think its time for pizza," Rick announced.

"And ice cream," Drew and Bri said at the same time.

"Alright, alright," Rick laughed.

Bri walked ahead of them, out of the Paeds ward, towards the elevator on her way to Rick's truck. Rick wrapped an arm around his husband's waist, smiling brightly at the other man as they went. They had finally made it, after so many months, the grueling arduous process of adoption, the trials and tribulations that had hindered them.

They went out to local pizza place, letting Bri order whatever she wanted to celebrate the night, even ordering a 'Nutella Pizza' for dessert which Rick had to admit was pretty good. The couple noticed the blonde was starting to get tired around 9:30 so they drove home.

They were enthusiastically greeted by Major when they returned home, Bri excited to see the mutt once again. Rick and Drew gave her a quick tour of the house, showing her the basics for the night and would delve into it more in the morning.

"And this is your room," Drew announced, opening her door. Bri carefully walked through and stopped when she saw her surroundings.

"This is mine?"

"Yeah," Rick confirmed, wrapping an arm around his husband's waist. "What do you think?"

"Its… different to what I imagined," Bri said honestly, walking over to her desk, running her hands over the back of the chair. Drew shared a confused look with his husband and tried not to feel offended, he put a lot of work into the room and was disappointed with the blonde's reaction.

"Well, if you don't like it, I guess we can redecorate it," Rick said, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly.

"No!" Bri cried suddenly, turning wide eyed at the men, "no I love it! I just pictured something a lot smaller."

"Oh," the men said in unison, realization dawning on them.

"I've never had my own room. I always had to hide my things so other kids at the group home or foster homes wouldn't steal them, it's going to be weird to have my things on display."

"No one will take your things Bri," Drew assured.

"Just don't leave food around, you'll never see it again with Major around," Rick laughed.

"Noted," Bri giggled. "can I go to bed? I'm kinda tired."

"Sure sweetheart, the clothes you ordered are in the walk-in closet. If you can't find anything let us know. Well come back and tuck you in."

* * *

Later that night, Rick found Drew standing in Bri's doorway, leaning against the door jam, a tired smile on his face.

"What are you doing, creeper?" Rick asked, hugging the other man from behind, placing his chin on Drew's shoulder.

"She's home," Drew said, leaning against his husband, sighing in contentment.

"We did it," Rick agreed, placing a kiss to the juncture of Drew's throat as he watched their girl. She was sleeping peacefully, her chest rising and falling as she dreamed. "Come on."

"Just a few more minutes."

They stayed there for a little while longer, reveling in the utter joy they felt. Finally, after everything they had been through, it had all paid off and they couldn't be happier.

* * *

>

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it's a bit sappy but sue me! They deserve nice things!  
> There will be an epilogue and then that's it!  
> Love Squiggle


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